So Google Plus (Google+) is quickly amassing its own number of followers, although it’s probably still a far cry from the number of Facebook users. In less than a month since the launch of Google+, we’ve been seeing a lot of speculations about the number of users. From 10 million to 25 million Google+ users – the numbers are all over the place. Google will probably never tell us the real deal on how many users they have, but there is something more important than knowing just how many people are on the social network. Privacy. [Read more…] about How to Configure Privacy Settings on Google+
Social Networks
Google Plus Anti Divorce?
Are you plus one-ing yet, or are you still stuck with liking? Google’s beta release of Google Plus last week has got everyone online going gaga over the newest social networking site in town. With the limited and sporadic invites available, not everyone is on Google Plus yet. Still, divmore and more people are finding their way to the site.
With that comes all sorts of articles, critiques, and commentaries on Google Plus. One of the more interesting ones that I have stumbled upon is written by Kashmir Hill of Forbes.com. ((Article)) The topic? How Google Plus seems to be anti-divorce. Divorce may be an ordinary thing in most countries in the world, but in my neck of the woods, divorce is stirring up controversy. Yes, the Philippines in the only place on Earth (barring the Vatican) where divorce is not legal – yet.
So what is this about Google Plus not being nice to divorcees? For those who have an account already, check out the options for relationship status. As opposed to Facebook, which does provide “Divorced” as an option, Google Plus only offers the following.
The list of relationship status options being a fact, what does this imply about Google? I honestly wouldn’t have given it any further thought if I hadn’t read the article. Hill has a theory that, perhaps, Google took heed of feedback from the past (the “Call Daddy” reminder in Gmail, which offended some people with father issues) and chose not to include divorce as an option. After all, divorce can be one of the main sources of issues in people’s lives.
Then again, I honestly think that reading into the absence of the option is a waste of time. As far as I am concerned, it should be enough to state whether you are married, in a relationship, or single. After all, Google Plus is NOT a dating network – although I suppose for some people, that just might become one of the purposes.
Whether or not Google is against divorce – I don’t care. I do care about making sure that my stream is kept clean of the noise that I have on Facebook and that I use those circles to my advantage. How is your Google Plus experience so far? Do you miss the “Divorce” option?
BeautifulPeople.com Hit by Shrek Virus; “Ugly” People Let In
If Anonymous and LulzSec were to hit targets such as BeautifulPeople.com, then perhaps they would bring about more lulz. The social network for the good looking has been hit with a virus called “Shrek”, which allowed applicants to pass through the screening process more easily. Indeed, it seemed to approve people who normally would not have passed the site’s requirements.
If you have not heard of this site yet, it is an online dating site that only allows – as the name says – beautiful people. And how do they determine who is beautiful? Who is to say what’s beautiful and what’s not? That’s where their “strict” rating system comes into play, where the voices of the members are heard. In short, existing users vote on whether or not an applicant is beautiful enough to be part of the site. In other words, it is nothing but an extension of social cliques you find in high school, college, or wherever.
Still, the site has not been unsuccessful. To date, they have over 700,000 members from all over the world. This number suddenly swelled by the tens of thousands recently, which made the management suspicious. (I wonder why – isn’t it possible that there are tens of thousands beautiful people wanting to be part of their site?) In any case, they discovered that there was something wrong – the virus.
As if the original premise is not already borderline ridiculous as it is, the management decided to inform the “incorrectly accepted” people that they cannot retain their membership status. As managing director Greg Hodge says, “We have sincere regret for the unfortunate people who were wrongly admitted to the site and who believed, albeit for a short while, that they were beautiful. It must be a bitter pill to swallow, but better to have had a slice of heaven then never to have tasted it at all.”
Need a Girlfriend? Cloud Girlfriend Is the Answer!
Calling all the Howard Wolowitzes ((The Big Bang Theory)) and Morgan Grimeses ((Chuck)) of the world. A new web site is launching soon, and it promises all the lonely men of Facebook all the benefits of a virtual girlfriend. Dubbed Cloud Girlfriend – The Social Network Girlfriend, this site just might be the answer to the prayers of those men who have been desperately wanting to change their status to “In a relationship with —” on Facebook.
So how does it work? From what can be seen on the site, there are only four steps to the perfect relationship.
- Define your perfect girlfriend.
- The site will bring her into existence.
- Connect and interact with your perfect girlfriend (who has been brought into existence by the guys at Cloud Girlfriend) on Facebook, or whatever your preferred social network may be.
- Enjoy a public long distance relationship with your girlfriend.
I kid you not – take a close look at the screen shot below or simply visit Cloud Girlfriend.
You won’t be able to do anything on the site except to sign up for when they launch. ((Yes, I did sign up to see if it will work.)) And when you do sign up, you get this message.
I suppose that if you were to sign up, the assumption is that you will also have at least seven other friends who would want to sign up! (Oh yeah, if you do decide to sign up, do you mind using that link in the image so you can be my referral?)
Going back to the “perfect girlfriend” – believe it or not, there is going to be a real person behind the creation. I guess there is no going around that – I don’t think there is a program smart enough to be the perfect girlfriend. 😉
Do you think that this site will gain traction once launched? More importantly, do you think it will last? Personally, I am wondering if it can be an alternative to playing The Dating Game on Facebook. Oh, and why is it only about girlfriends and not boyfriends???
The Dating Game Goes Social
Remember that TV show which helped singles meet the person of their dreams? Quirky and funny, The Dating Game was one of the most popular TV shows in the old days. If I remember correctly, The Dating Game was even franchised in different countries. Not much has changed in the face of dating in that people are still on their own quests to find their perfect match. If anything, dating has merged with technological developments, creating new options.
Everyone knows about online dating and how it has become a viable alternative for many people. 3G Studios, a Reno, Nevada-based developer, has introduced a new element into the equation: a dating game that can be played with real people via social networks. Surprising? Not really. Silly? Probably.
The format of The Dating Game is not totally different from the TV show. A game will have a bachelor, or a bachelorette, seeking a date. There will be three potential dates who remain anonymous until the bachelor/bachelorette makes a decision. He or she will be asking personal questions which each of the contestants must answer. After several rounds, the person seeking a date will make his or her choice and gets to go on a date with the winner. Of course, the date may either be virtual or for real, depending on the people involved. The game is available for Facebook, MySpace, and Friendster – among others. (So people still do use Friendster???)
This new game raises a lot of questions, one of which is with regard to security. The developers deals with this issue by allowing avatars instead of photos. Personally, I think that if someone wants to play a dating game using his or her social networking account, then security would probably not be an issue for that person. Then again, if you take a look at that screenshot above, you might have second thoughts about playing the game.
In any case, if you are single and you find yourself having nothing to do this weekend, grab The Dating Game for free. Or you can read a book. That’s probably more productive.
Jumo: More than Social Networking
Even before I read the details about the newest social networking site in town, I was already feeling positive about the whole idea. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I immediately took notice of its charitable goals.
You have to admit, social networking sites are fun and easily fill up idle time, but at the end of the day, their worth in real life might be up for discussion. With this new site that Chris Hughes has set up, things just might have a better impact.
Called Jumo, the site is primarily aimed at building connections between individuals and non-profits or charitable organizations. Charities will be indexed and people can find – or browse – these entities, as well as evaluate them.
In case the name Chris Hughes seems familiar but you just can’t quite put your finger on it, let me point you in the right direction. He is actually one of the co-founders of Facebook and is also known for having been the director of online organizing for Barack Obama’s campaign back in 2008. It is not a surprise that he is the guy behind Jumo, is it?
I have to be honest – I am wondering if Jumo will actually result in people giving more to charities. If you think about it, Facebook offers its own venues for giving, but how many people actually give to charities via this venue? I wonder if Jumo will be able to take things one step further and result in tangible donations for those who are in need the most.
One question: would you sign up for Jumo and be more active in giving because of it?